<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When native tribes in Africa want to catch a monkey, they drill a hole into a rock or tree \u2013 large enough for a monkey hand, but too small for a clenched monkey fist. Then, they fill it with peanuts. Once a monkey grabs the treat, it can\u2019t get its hand out of the hole anymore. It panics, holding on to the very thing that keeps it trapped.<\/p>\n
Often, we are that monkey.<\/p>\n
We hold on to relationships, jobs, and behaviors that keep us stuck. We don\u2019t realize that once we let go of the proverbial peanuts, we are free to find better things.<\/p>\n
You have almost unlimited potential, but if you want to realize it, you have to let go of what doesn\u2019t serve you. Unfortunately, these things are hard to see because you\u2019ve held them for so long.<\/p>\n
If you want to achieve your full potential, let go of these traps.<\/p>\n
\u2022The Need To Fit In Keeps You Stuck
\nOur society isn\u2019t that different from what it was a few thousand years ago.<\/p>\n
Yes, we have smartphones, sports cars, houses with A\/C, and deodorant to stop assaulting others with our armpits during hot summers. But above all, we have social structures \u2013 friends, family, and a boss to answer to.<\/p>\n
Back in the day of Corey the Caveman, we had to fit in with the tribe. If we didn\u2019t, the members would whack us over the head with a club and kick us out, which was an almost certain death sentence.<\/p>\n
Today, we still have that need. We\u2019re afraid of rejection, of raising eyebrows, and of attracting negative attention because we wear the wrong clothes. It\u2019s what makes you try to fit in.<\/p>\n
But if you always try to find ways to please others, you\u2019ll end up losing yourself.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll get stuck in a toxic relationship because you\u2019re afraid of what others might think if you go to counseling. You won\u2019t start your business because you\u2019ll have to cut expenses and stop balling with the boys for a while. You hold your tongue and betray yourself instead of speaking your truth.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u2022Listen \u2013 you don\u2019t have to fit in anymore.<\/p>\n
Disagreeing with someone won\u2019t ruin your life. It\u2019s normal to have conflict. It\u2019s normal to not fit in with everybody.<\/p>\n
You have so much potential inside of you, but you can only use it if you\u2019re willing to disagree with others.<\/p>\n
Your life isn\u2019t theirs.<\/p>\n
Fear of rejection stops you from trying. Fear of hurt stops you from opening up. Fear of being wrong stops you from seeing mistakes.
\nThe Desire For An Easy Life Makes Yours Hard
\nYou can only live an easy life if you choose a hard one.<\/p>\n
Financial freedom, time with your family, and being fit and healthy require sacrifices. You\u2019ll have to put in extra hours, wake up early, and sweat at the gym. That\u2019s how life works.<\/p>\n
Contrast that to what most people do and you\u2019ll know why they struggle.<\/p>\n
They buy the new iPhone, stay up late drinking beer, and inhale donuts like a vacuum cleaner an unfortunate pet hamster.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying you can never do that. I buy cake every week. I party until the sun rises. In two months, I\u2019ll buy myself a new iPhone. So what\u2019s the difference?<\/p>\n
I do it only once I\u2019ve worked for it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve dedicated the last three years to growing a business and the last eleven to lifting weights. I\u2019ve made life hard for myself so it could be easy in the long run.<\/p>\n
\u201cEasy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.\u201d \u2013 Jerzy Gregorek<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve reached a comfortable position, you get used to it. You don\u2019t want to put all the hard work in over and over. You want to enjoy the fruits of your labor.<\/p>\n
I get it.<\/p>\n
But this mindset keeps you stuck. Leveling up and reaching your full potential requires you to make sacrifices again, whether it\u2019s at work, in your relationship, or at the dinner table. Don\u2019t expect to move forward if you don\u2019t fuel the engine.<\/p>\n
When you get too comfortable and want life to be easy all the time, it becomes hard.<\/p>\n
The Anchors And Dead Weights That Pull You Down
\nYou can only rise as far as your chains are long.<\/p>\n
When NASA shoots a rocket into space, they use boosters \u2013 temporary support rockets and tanks that fall off once they\u2019re burned out. If they didn\u2019t, the rocket wouldn\u2019t reach its target speed and height. The same happens to you when you carry dead weight.<\/p>\n
These burdens can take many different forms. For years, I\u2019ve had a wardrobe full of clothes I didn\u2019t wear but still had to dig through every time I looked for my favorite shirt. I\u2019ve also entertained friendships and relationships that dragged me down like a leaky submarine its crew. Once I let go of them, I was free to rise higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cShow me your friends and I\u2019ll show you your future.\u201d \u2013 Dan Pe\u00f1a<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to cut everyone off who isn\u2019t on the same path as you. You can inspire others to embark on the same journey.<\/p>\n
But if you want to reach your full potential, take a long, honest look at your life and the people within it. Who holds you back, who supports and propels you forward? Let go of the former, double down on the latter.<\/p>\n
Your Ego Is The Single Biggest Obstacle You\u2019ll Ever Face
\nYou are your worst enemy.<\/p>\n
The one thing that has held me back and sabotaged me most was my ego. I was cocky about my business, so it crashed. I thought I did everything right in my relationships, so they fell apart. I didn\u2019t want to accept my mistakes, so I kept repeating them.<\/p>\n
Your ego is the single biggest obstacle that holds you back from success \u2013 whatever that \u201csuccess\u201d looks like to you.<\/p>\n
The problem is it\u2019s wicked smart. It will cloud your judgment and twist your thoughts. And it\u2019s all based on fear.<\/p>\n
Fear of rejection stops you from trying. Fear of hurt stops you from opening up. Fear of being wrong stops you from seeing mistakes.<\/p>\n
If you want to reach your full potential, you have to leave your ego behind \u2013 and with it, your fears.<\/p>\n
Be comfortable being wrong. It\u2019s okay. We\u2019re human. We all make mistakes. The important part is learning from them.
\nLess talk, more action. Yes, you feel good when you boast about your accomplishments or grand plans. But if you want to make progress, that is wasted breath. Get to work instead.
\nStop telling yourself stories. \u201cThey don\u2019t like me because I\u2019m short.\u201d \u201cI deserve XYZ because I\u2019m special.\u201d Look at the facts and act with rationale.
\nChoose to solve a problem over being right. Sometimes, you\u2019ll have to forgive and let things go. If it solves the problem, that\u2019s a small price to pay.
\nKeep a beginner\u2019s mindset. \u201cNo man can learn what he thinks he already knows,\u201d Epictetus once wrote. No matter how far you came, you can always go further.
\nPut your purpose above yourself. You will perish, but your legacy won\u2019t.
\nHaving an ego got you to where you are \u2013 letting go of it will get you further.<\/p>\n
The Beliefs And Habits That No Longer Serve You
\nBuilding great habits is one of the best things you can do for yourself \u2013 but there is one inherent problem.<\/p>\n
They can only get you to a certain level. Training three times a week, journaling every weekend, and reading ten pages a day are great. But if you want to go further, you have to adopt different behaviors.<\/p>\n
Maybe your relationship demands more attention. Maybe your kids need more time. Maybe climbing the corporate ladder requires you to learn another skill.<\/p>\n
This is often hard to see because our current behaviors already changed our lives for the better.<\/p>\n
You have to recognize when a behavior serves you no longer \u2013 and this isn\u2019t just about habits.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also about your beliefs.<\/p>\n
They are habitual thoughts. \u201cI have to work more to make more. My kids are the most important thing to me. Hitting the gym is the best sport.\u201d These were all true in the past, but are they still?<\/p>\n
What if the key to making more money isn\u2019t more work, but finding someone who pays you better? What if you need another purpose now that your kids are grown? What if heavy lifts at the gym hurts your joints?<\/p>\n
Examine what you believe to be true. Shake up your thoughts. Ask the tough questions.<\/p>\n
If you want to get further, sometimes you have to let go of what got you so far.<\/p>\n
Letting go is often harder than holding on.<\/p>\n
We keep ourselves trapped because we\u2019re so used to it. Like a monkey with a fist full of peanuts, we don\u2019t realize there are many more fruits and freedoms out there. All we have to do is let go of what keeps us stuck.<\/p>\n
The need to fit in and be liked. Don\u2019t be afraid of rejection if what you do makes you happy.
\nThe dream of an easy life. Choose a hard one and eventually, it will become easy.<\/p>\n
Anchors and deadweights. Things and people can either hold you back or move forward, so choose wisely.
\nYour ego. Nothing holds you back more than the enemy who lives inside your head.
\nOld habits and beliefs. Just because something got you where you are doesn\u2019t mean it will get you further.
\nYou have much more potential than you think \u2013 stop holding yourself back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When native tribes in Africa want to catch a monkey, they drill a hole into a rock or tree \u2013 large enough for a monkey hand, but too small for a clenched monkey fist. Then, they fill it with peanuts. Once a monkey grabs the treat, it can\u2019t get its hand out of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"\n